KATHMANDU: Laxman Prasad Aryal, 72, chairman of the Interim Constitution Drafting Committee took his last breath at Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj at 6:45 am, today. Aryal, a former Supreme Court Justice had been suffering from kidney failure since last year. Leaders of various political parties, justices, lawyers and journalists attended his last rites at Aryaghat.The full court meeting of the Supreme Court has grieved his demise in a condolence message. Aryal was also a member of the 1990 Constitution Drafting Commission that drafted the 1990 constitution, following the people’s movement that toppled 30-year old Panchayat regime. Aryal raised his voice for equal rights to women and is remembered leading a bench in a historic verdict criminalising marital rape. He had quashed the discriminatory legal provisions against prostitutes. He had also set many principles on equality and reducing gender gap in the country. His demise was a great loss to the Nation, Sapana Pradhan Malla, Constituent Assembly member told The Himalayan Times. Aryal was against the state of emergency imposed by King Gyanendra in 2001. He was against the state of emergency depicting military rule that curtailed civilian liberties. He also stood for national interests over personal ones. He, however, complained of undue political pressure in the judiciary and sought judges to restrain from those pressure so as to establish rule of law. “Aryal a Nepali Congress activist, while he was a student, however, was not biased against anyone and always upheld democratic ideology,” advocate Satish Krishna Kharel said. After retiring from active service from the Apex Court in 2001, Aryal had joined the civil society movement in 2002. Kharel also added that Aryal was an example of integrity and honesty in the judiciary. Aryal is lived by a wife, two sons and three daughters.